Apple delays next iTunes release until November

More like Oct-no-ber: The next version of iTunes won't surface until November.

“The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told Macworld. “We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.”

First shown off at the company’s event in September, the new iTunes features a radically redesigned and simplified interface, including a completely rethought Mini Player. It also focuses more heavily on the cloud; from any device, you can play music you’ve purchased with your iTunes account. Other new features include recommendations from the iTunes Store; preview history; and the Up Next feature, which lets you adjust what music is going to play next.

Apple originally announced the update to iTunes would be available by the end of October, but with some big changes this week, the company’s clearly looking to set expectations ahead of the month’s end.

Dan Moren Senior Editor, Macworld

Dan has been writing about all things Apple since 2006, when he first started contributing to the MacUser blog. Since then he's covered most of the company's major product releases and reviewed every major revision of iOS. In his "copious" free time, he's usually grinding away on a novel or two.More by Dan Moren